Do You Have the Protein Monster in Your Head?

I know some of you were cringing as you read yesterday's recipe (steamed potatoes and carrots)!  You were saying, "Yikes!  Where's the Meat!"  I have responded to that below:

When I owned my vegetarian school, one of the first questions I got from prospective clients was: "Well, then how will my child get his/her protein if s/he eats vegetarian?"  I, too, wondered about this before reading nearly 300 boooks for my Masters' Thesis.  I, too, had the "protein monster" in my head and thought if I didn't eat meat I had to at least eat lots of dairy products!  These attitudes came as a result of my "nutritional education" in the public schools.  But, the reality is just the opposite!  Actually, because of the extensive advertising (that same "nutritional education" mentioned above), Americans are suffereing a myriad of illnesses caused by the over-proteining of America.

An article by Debra Blake Weisenthal entitled "Shattering the Myth of Protein" states: "If you are getting enough calories, just about no matter what you're eating, you're also getting sufficient protein." So, our worry about getting enough protein is not only not necessary but is actually detrimental to our health.


In "Fat Burning Foods", the authors state: "The trouble is, most people consume too much meat and cheese and not enough potatoes and break.  You need only about an ounce of protein for every 18 pounds of ideal body weight.  In other words, a 126 pound woman needs only about 7 ounces a day."

Dr. Pritikin, famed expert on nutrition, agrees and says: "Vegetarians always ask about getting enough protein.  But I don't know any nutrition expert that can plan a diet of natural foods resulting in a protein deficiency, so long as you're not deficient in calories.  You need only 6% of total calories in protein....and it's practically impossible to get below 9% in ordinary diets."

John Robbins, in Diet for a New America, wrote about research that actually lowers that percentage to between 3% and 5%.  And, he adds, "a potato has 13% protein"!

Another issue for many people is that of "combining foods" to get a "complete" protein.  This is a myth which came about because of some studies done on rats in the 1940's.  Rats, which differ from humans in many ways, also have different nutritional needs.  Not surprisingly, once research was conducted on people, the results were quite different and they resulted in a change in the way proteins are rated.  The current standard for humans is known as the Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score (PDCAAS).  Using the PDCAAS scale, soy protein receives a top rating.  Unfortunately, the Meat and Dairy Council still sites the old, inaccurate studies when convincing the public that get "protein" is very hard as a vegetarian but very easy with their products. 

In Francis Moore Lappe's 20 year anniversary edition of "Diet for a Small Planet", she bemoans the way most people have accepted the 1940's study over the more recent studies.  Her original book, with the incorrect study in it, is what made the "combining" strategy so popular.  There's certainly nothing wrong with combing beans with a grain (almost every culture has some variation of beans and rice) but it's not really necessary! 

So, relax!  And have some comfort food for dinner once in a while without feeling guilty.  I did....and it was yummy!